Latino Daily News

Guatemalan Police Arrest Drug Trafficker Wanted in the U.S.

Guatemalan security forces on Thursday captured a suspected drug trafficker wanted by the United States.

Edgar Estuardo Caceres Barreira, 40, was arrested in the village of La Cienega in the Caribbean province of Izabal, a spokesman for the PNC national police force told reporters.

Participating in the capture operation were personnel from the PNC and the Attorney General’s Office.

Authorities did not say what organization the suspect belongs to and only noted that in the coming hours he will be transported by air to the capital.

Caceres is wanted by the United States on charges of conspiracy to manufacture and distribute cocaine.

On April 30, authorities arrested in the village of Playitas in Izabal province another reputed Guatemalan drug trafficker whose extradition had been requested by the United States.

Maro Rene Ponce Rodriguez, the brother of Mario Ponce Rodriguez, was arrested in San Pedro Sula, Honduras, on May 1, 2011, and extradited to the United States where he is serving a 25-year sentence for drug trafficking crimes.

Another member of this family, Jose Ranferi, who is also wanted by the U.S. justice system, is a fugitive.